As a Change Champion and someone who constantly looks for opportunities to shake things up, disrupt mediocre status quo, and continually improve stuff; my 2017 New Year post was probably no surprise to any of you. Almost six months ago, I announced with gusto, the ‘Year of Revolutionary Change’ as my 2017 theme in my New Year blog, and splashed it across my refreshed personal Facebook page banner.

‘A Game Changer, a disrupter of the ordinary, Inspirer of positive thought & dynamic change’ … not only my Facebook profile; it is what I do and love doing. Deliberate intent and purpose to inspire and lead change. Encouraging others to step up, engaging workforces to raise the bar, and embracing opportunities to develop communities; for greater good outcomes.

So, my partner and I excitedly planned progressive change initiatives for 2017. My book writing priority, his corporate planning project, my business rebranding, our community leadership roles, local leadership development programs, and professional speaking personal development for both of us; all focused on raising the bar, influencing change, and making a bigger difference in the small regional community we enjoy living in. Plans were humming, stuff was happening, positive outcomes were on the horizon; some within weeks of fruition.

Then May happened – Monday 8 May to be precise. Unplanned change, unexpected turmoil; deliberately cut off at the knees. An unbelievable and totally unnecessary decision made by several people on self-preservation power trips, with malicious intent to personally discredit and drive us out of the community. This small, regional community we had put our heart and soul into for almost two years. [More will be written on that story … later].

Suffice to say, we went into the usual crisis spin that sudden change can cause; proof that Change Champions are human too, with the same common emotional phases:

Denial [reality shock, ‘this can’t be happening’, why?]

Anger [not ready, not right, not rational – just so wrong on so many levels]

Bargaining [reaction -> responding, try to fix it or make sense of it]

Depression [realisation, sadness, practicality, assessing choices]

Acceptance [options, opportunities, solutions, wisdom & growth]

Now … we are embracing more CHANGES – yes, again.

Life is about zigzags, not straight lines.

Not only is change a way of life, it is always going to be more prevalent in our lives. Why? Because you get more of what you focus on. What you put out there, often comes back to you. As one of my besties recently put it:

“As brave and bold disrupters, questioning unacceptable status quo, suggesting and influencing change … there will always be push back from those who fear change and feel threatened. You disrupt their comfort zone or rock their boat … chances are: they’ll do the same back – with vengeance.”

True. When you dig deeper into the communities and organisations that are stuck in the past, or struggling to survive, or their culture is toxic and their people live with fear or no trust; it’s obvious why. Their ‘leaders’ resist change and kill off progressive game-changers. Good people leave, comfort-zone plodders stay; nothing changes. Just the way they like it.

One thing I know as an experienced coach and human behaviour specialist; we have no control of others’ behaviours – they own that. We do, however, have control and choice over our responses to that; and we choose not to be reduced by others unethical actions.

Seriously … feeling stuck, or working in a toxic environment, or forced to play small to suit others low expectations, is not a choice we would ever make. There is no passion in that, no honour in selling your soul, no reason for us to change our approach.

As a pair of game-changers; we don’t rumble in the crisis stages of 1-4 for long. Rapid acceptance of a closed door means that we are free to shake off the shackles and explore other doors … new opportunities, exciting adventures, choices, chances and more change. YAH!

Ahead is simply a change of circumstances, a location change, a chance to take our 2017 goals and make them happen elsewhere … just down the road.

What I’ve realised through these challenging few weeks is that my partner and I have a well-honed six-phase approach that drives and flexes around just about everything we do; it flows something like this:

Dream it – Notice what’s needed, visualise what it could be, believe in our abilities to help make it happen

Embrace it – Whatever the outcome, everything is an opportunity for learning & growth … and/or wiser for the experience.

This works for us like a rotating circular flow that keeps us rolling from one opportunity to the next, making a difference wherever it is needed, wanted and valued. Lots of achievements; some things work, some don’t. It’s this choice to not live in the realms of needing certainty, that strengthens our resilience and drive to bounce back and keep going. Besides, seriously – zigzags are far more interesting than straight lines.

Just like Richard Branson, who has had more failures than he bothers to count; he learned early on not to spend time regretting the past, but rather put more energy into the future. He looks for opportunities to capitalise from every failed venture; and often does. We agree with his quote:

“Opportunities are like buses … there’s always another one coming”

So, as the end of June approaches, it’s time for a mid-year review of my 2017 goals. Despite the unexpected hurdles, I can tick some off as ‘achieved’ or ‘established’, some as ‘in progress’, and excitingly – the most important ones will be far easier to get into and embrace from our new location.

What I know for sure … with every change – planned or unplanned, there are always new opportunities to explore, new doors to open, new chapters waiting to be written, new relationships to build, more growth and more wisdom to fuel our tanks. That doesn’t rock our boat, it floats it.